Get clear about what you want your money to do for you by asking yourself a few questions of reflection.
How can I get clear about my money?
We’ve probably all experienced folks who accumulate money just for the sake of accumulating – and love to talk about their money too. These folks remind me of Scrooge McDuck, who loves to play in his huge pile of money stored in his vault.
And we’ve probably all been stuck talking to “that guy” at a gathering who loves to tell you about the cool expensive gadget he just bought, or the exclusive expensive vacation he just took, or how much money he just made on the perfect stock pick.
It can also be easy to compare yourself to that guy who seems to have it all from a money point of view.
But what if you disregarded what everyone else is doing with their money – because they aren’t on the same money journey that you are on. What if you focused on yourself, and your own dreams and visions for your life today and in the future?
Questions to ask after spending
Carl Richards wrote a great article about this topic. Carl Richards is the creator of the Sketch Guy column, which appeared weekly for a decade in The New York Times, using simple sketches drawn with a Sharpie to illustrate complex financial and behavioral concepts.
And in the article, Carl outlines a few questions to ask yourself when you’ve spent money on something:
- Did that bring me joy?
- Did it make me happier?
- Did it make my life better?
- Would I do it again?
If we contemplated these questions after a purchase, imagine how much we might learn about how and why we make decisions, and perhaps we’d work towards becoming healthier in the process. Focusing on what works for us, instead of what we see others doing, might just help us become a little bit happier too.
